Before I begin, let me just say that I love D&D, have for years. And despite its flaws I love 5E; its probably the most accessible version of D&D I’ve played… and I’ve played a fair few versions.
But… but! I’m sorely disappointed in 5th Edition’s lazy approach to fleshing out the Forgotten Realms. There’s just not a lot of official, contemporary material available and what is available has been watered down. I’ve taken to working with 3E / 3.5E worldbbooks because that’s the last time I remember Wizards putting out quality worldbooks.
Am I just missing an amazing set of sources? Are there must-haves on a third party site that I may not know about?
Or, am I right in thinking that the current focus on comprehensive campaigns has left those who are interested in a less structured approach scrounging to find good source?
(Perhaps next time, we can chat about the lack of good, official one-shot adventures.)
I love the lax world building because I want to make it myself. With the depth of old books, most of which your can get for cheap or free you can look it up if you need to. I also don’t live the forgotten realms too much. I do love the adventure without settings books like ghosts of saltmarsh
I’ve built worlds and I love the flexibility, but it also leaves little room for surprise if I’m the one creating it. Diving into other peoples worlds is a different experience, and one I’ve often enjoyed too.